Country

Finland

Detention issue

FRA research findings

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Legal instruments & key provisions

Legal instrument Key provision
Imprisonment Act (Vankeuslaki/Fängelselag)The authorities in charge of the enforcement of imprisonment shall ensure that during the imprisonment no person unjustifiably violates the personal integrity of the prisoner. Precautionary measures, including physical restraint, isolation and segregation, shall be used as a last resort. A prisoner who commits a disciplinary infraction may be subject to a disciplinary punishment, including warning; restricted participation in free time activities, use of money or other means of payment, or possession of property; or solitary confinement.

NATIONAL PREVENTIVE MECHANISM RECOMMENDATIONS

Year Recommendation Report
2016The NPM recommended that the police prison should avoid using the cell if it does not have a call button unless it can provide continuous monitoring. Report details
2018The Imprisonment Act requires cells to be equipped with alarm devices that can be used to contact prison staff immediately. Using the alarm button to contact prison staff required the person placed in the cell to go down on their knees and lie down on their stomach to reach the button. This could put the person’s life in danger in the event of, for example, a seizure. From the perspective of the persons deprived of their liberty, the location of the button could be seen as extremely humiliating (2338/2018). Report details
2019The NPM report points out that, in prisons such as the Sukeva Prison, prison officers weres unable to find a solution so that prisoners could serve their sentences without experiencing coercion or threats from other prisoners. Report details
2021During a recent NPM inspection, the Prison and Probation Service had voiced that violence between inmates and directed at staff has become a significant challenge. According to the consultees, this is likely due to an increase in groupings within prison. While safety is crucial, excessively strict security measures, such as constantly keeping cell doors closed, cannot be justified. The NPM had also encountered situations where members of organised criminal groups were allowed unrestricted movement, while other inmates who feared them were accommodated separately. Report details